Kapla model: two towers and their arch
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Build the two towers and their arch step by step
Step 1: lay the starting square
Lay 2 planks flat, parallel, with room for 3 Kapla between them. Lay 2 more planks across them, one at each end. This is the square the 2 towers will grow from.
Step 2: slide the square
Build 7 floors. On the 1st, 2 Kapla running like the first row, a little further apart. Then 3 per floor: 2 across and 1 lengthwise, laid a little further out, on one side then the other. The square stretches.
Step 3: split into 2 towers
Lay 4 planks across, 2 for each future square, then 4 lengthwise on top: the rectangle turns into 2 squares side by side. Build these 2 floors once more. There are your 2 towers!
Step 4: move the towers apart and lay the arch
On each floor, move each tower out by one plank’s thickness. Every other floor, lay the arch: 2 Kapla across the middle, resting on both towers, like a little bridge. 4 floors, 20 planks.
💡 Astuce : the arch ties the 2 towers together while they lean: lay it right across, as much on one as on the other.
Step 5: build the towers straight up
The towers stop moving apart. Build 12 floors, taking turns: 1 floor of 6 planks across, 4 for the towers and 2 for the arch, then 1 floor of 4 lengthwise.
Step 6: bring the towers closer
Do the opposite of step 4: on each floor, move each tower in by one plank’s thickness, still laying the arch every other floor. 4 floors, 20 Kapla.
Step 7: join the 2 towers
Build 4 floors with no arch: the 2 squares meet and become a single rectangle again. You need 15 planks, 4 per floor, then 3 for the last one.
Step 8: close it like a mirror
Build the first floors again in reverse: the rectangle narrows down to the small starting square, 21 Kapla over 8 floors. Your 2 towers grew from a square and close back into one!
💡 Astuce : what if you built 3 towers instead of 2? Raise a new tower on the arch, as in the four towers model.
Frequently asked questions
They take 176, over 45 floors. A box of 200 Kapla is enough.
From 8 years old. Splitting the square is the trickiest part: an adult nearby helps to place the first planks of each tower.
Floor after floor, the planks slide outwards and the square stretches into a rectangle. Once it is long enough, you simply lay 2 squares side by side instead of one. The Kapla booklet calls it going from one square to 2 squares.
More Kapla models and building ideas!
Skyscraper
Build a real Kapla skyscraper, like the ones in big cities: 4 towers side by side rising in a spiral, each stopping at its own floor, up to a crown and its spire! Floors of standing planks make it climb very fast: it stands over 1.50 m tall. This hard model takes 406 Kapla and can be built from age 9.
Four towers and their arches
Build a square of Kapla that splits into 2 towers, then into 4! A new tower is born on the arch, splits in turn, and the 4 towers rise straight up before everything closes again at the top. This hard model takes lots of planks: 388 in all. It can be built from age 10.
Pinwheel hourglass
Build a Kapla hourglass, with its narrow waist in the middle! Each floor is a pinwheel square that steps in a tiny bit, then out again up to its starting width. This model takes precision but few planks: 76 in all. It can be built from age 6.
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